My Brother and Attitude

"The basic thing is that everyone wants happiness, no one wants suffering. And happiness mainly comes from our own attitude, rather than from external factors. If you're own mental attitude is correct, even if you remain in a hostile atmosphere, you feel happy"

-Dalai Lama

I'd like to use my little brother as an example to demonstrate the importance of attitude when dealing with crisis.

We nicknamed him Samwise Gamjee, the name of Frodo's hobbit companion in Lord of the Rings. I don't know why we started calling him this (it probably had to do with the fact that his name begins with Sam), but its become quite fitting. Like the movie character, my brother is also loyal, friendly, positive....and somewhat short.

Those of you who know him see a humble, good-natured, batman-obsessed kid whose one of the nicest guys out there, always willing to help. Unfortunately he rarely comes out of this shell around you. If he did, you would realize as I have that he is more than just Batman posters and smiles. He is an incredibly special person...a very rare breed in this world.

My parents never told me what my brother first said when they told him I was sick, but I'd imagine it was something like, "He's going to beat this." Without knowing any details about the diagnosis or the odds, he just believed. That's how much confidence he has in me.

Since day 1, my brother has been like a waterfall of positive energy, and I have spent as much time as I can getting drenched. Not once in the past 2 years has he ever uttered a negative word or had a negative thought (come to think of it, it's more like since the day he was born). He brings a certain goofiness out of me, and when I'm talking to him or around him, I naturally feel joy. Despite his busy schedule, he never fails to call me twice, sometimes three times a day, just to joke around and make me laugh.

And then there's everything he does on his own time to help, most of which I probably don't know about. He spends countless hours at school, time he could use for studying or having fun, researching new treatments and cures that could potentially help me.

I love my brother more than anyone else in this world. Ironically, he's watched over me the way an older brother should watch over a little brother. I try my best to focus on the here and now as a way of dealing with stress about the future, but one thing I do look forward to more than anything is my brother's wedding day. I imagine myself standing up, giving a speech, and celebrating with him and whichever lucky girl gets to become my sister....I mean his wife. I'm proud just to know him.

Here's what I learned from Samwise. The most powerful tool in life is a positive attitude. There are 3 types of people in this world; those who are always negative, those who are both negative and positive depending on how things are going (that's me), and those who are always positive regardless of what's happening. I've been around all three types of people over the past 2 years, and the impact is amazing. I literally feel like I've lost this battle when around people in group 1. But around group 3 members, I feel like running through brick walls. If you're not a member of group 3, either seek those people out and stick with them, or even better, become a member. It's a small group and they're hard to find, but I've been blessed that God made my brother this way to protect me forever.